My favorite John Cleese movie is not one of the Monty Python things, or a Fish Called Wanda, or the Faulty Towers TV bits. It is the rarely seen and vastly underappreciated 1986 effort, Clockwise. It is so … British.
“Brian Stimpson (John Cleese) is the headmaster of a comprehensive (high) school in England. He sets himself, his staff and pupils very high standards. On the way to a conference at which he is to talk, all manner of disasters strike."
Brian Stimpson came to mind after This is Croydon Today reported that Cumnor House School, in Pampisford Road, South Croydon, has been hit by an outbreak of campylobacter.
Headteacher Peter Clare-Hunt, who I am totally envisioning as John Cleese, insists there is no proof that the bug came from the school kitchen.
"We have had five confirmed cases of campylobacter which is a type of food poisoning.
“The recommendation that the environmental health and independent food hygiene consultant made are all very minor and by minor I mean temperatures of fridges. But there is nothing sinister.
"We’re talking about food storage, temperatures of fridges not being too high or too low, making sure we don’t prepare raw meat alongside salads.”
Yes, John-Cleese-in-Clockwise character: don’t prepare raw meat alongside salads.
Headteacher Peter Clare-Hunt also said,
"In terms of tracing this back to the kitchen that will never be proved one way or the other."
How reassuring.